Today was absolutely the best day we have had weather wise on the entire trip. First day in two weeks where it didn’t rain at all. Started the morning by grabbing a takeaway coffee from the little cafe just outside the hotel here in Amstel. I was surprised at how good it really was.
I was booked on another bike tour with Mikes Bikes, so we all wandered north later in the morning to where the bike company is. This was a “Beer and Bitterballen Tour” that goes south of the city to a nice beer garden.
Sharon and Emma spent some time looking around the markets then spent the rest of the afternoon at the Dutch Resistance Museum, before meeting up with me for coffee then the pizza cruise.
The bike ride was excellent, it covers over 20km and you get to see some of the farmland and some of the rather expensive looking houses and house boats just outside the city limits.
We sampled about 5 pots of local beer, all of it quite good. The little fried meatballs go perfectly with beer. The Dutch really know how to do some awesome fried food.
On the bike tour we stopped at a few places and learnt about how the water is pumped out to keep the land below sea level dry, history on the windmills and how the government sponsors communities to keep some of the old ones maintained.
Of course they stop for the standard Dutch photo opportunity
I’m not using my phone whilst riding, I’m
Sure everyone believes me
one of the stops along the way
Just outside the beer garden
the brewery with the beer garden
The beer and Bitterballen
This whole area is about 4 metres below sea level.
The route where the tour went :-
This about sums up the trip so far
It's all about the coffee 